Officer Crabby Pants arrests Pro-Lifer

Isaac Newton Believed the Bible

Sir Isaac Newton, the father of modern science, said:



"We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever."

Occupy Wall Street solidifies message.

Until recently the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement has been criticized for not having a consistent message, making it difficult for bystanders – the true 99%, the general populace – to understand what the movement’s protests represent or are about.

While organizers have been busy chanting it is about economic & political equality the truth is slowly being revealed. Have you identified the primary message?

The one message that is consistent throughout is same sex partnership. Yes, the LGBT community has commandeered the movement to advance their agenda of normalizing sexual immorality under the banner of ‘Equality’.

Stephanie Donald of LGBT Today recently wrote;

"As far as allying the LGBT civil rights movement with the OWS movement, in the case of the OWS and union protesters in Washington State, the gay and lesbian alliance threw their whole-hearted support behind the union and OWS movement and this past week the executive board of the UFCW Local 21 has endorsed and petitioned the Washington State Legislature to pass marriage equality.

We’ve reached a point of critical mass with the Occupy Wall Street Movement. The more opposition they encounter the more support the movement gets from people previously uninvolved. The Oakland, California debacle is turning out to be a disaster for the Police Chief and the Mayor and the other shoe hasn’t dropped yet with Governor Jerry Brown and I’m quite sure he will have something very biting to say about how the situation was handled."

Notice that there is no emphasis on economic or political equality. Notice that the LGBT community is being encouraged to resort to hostility in an effort to draw support from those on the sidelines who are unaware of the underlying LGBT agenda. Hostility and aggression, as demonstrated during the Proposition 8 vote in the 2008 California election, is a tactic that has become trademark of the more extreme and militant LGBT faction.

Is it about equality at all or is it about a very small minority forcing the normalization of immorality at society’s expense? Indeed, isn’t the LGBT community actually doing exactly what the OWS movement is supposedly protesting against – a few dictating to the masses?

America observes Thanksgiving - Part 5

Resolution of the Senate in 1863 Appointing a Day of Fasting and Prayer

At the close of the session of Congress, the Senate of the United States, March 2, 1863, passed the following resolution:

RESOLUTION

Resolved, That, devoutly recognizing the supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations, and sincerely believing that no people, however great in numbers and resources, or however strong in the justice of their cause, can prosper without his favor, and at the same time deploring the national offences which have provoked his righteous judgment, yet encouraged, in this day of trouble, by the assurances of his word, to seek him for succor according to his appointed way, through Jesus Christ, the Senate of the United States do hereby request the President of the United States, by his proclamation, to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation, requesting all the people of the land to suspend their secular pursuits and unite in keeping the day in solemn communion with the Lord of Hosts, supplicating him to enlighten the councils and direct the policy of the rulers of the nation, and to support all our soldiers, sailors, and marines, and the whole people, in the firm discharge of duty, until the existing rebellion shall be overthrown and the blessings of peace restored to our bleeding country.

The President’s Proclamation – In pursuance of this resolution and request, President Abraham Lincoln issued the following:

PROCLAMATION

Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.

And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty seventh.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward, Secretary of State.

America observes Thanksgiving - Part 4

Biblical mandate and current timeline

There is a multitude of Scripture that establishes a spirit of thanksgiving and praise to God, our Creator and Provider.

One OT example is; “If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings. And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.” - Leviticus 7: 12-15

One NT example is; “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Recent Historical Time Line of Thanksgiving Observances:
· 1541 - Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, led a thanksgiving Communion celebration at the Palo Duro Canyon, West Texas.
· 1565 - Pedro Menendez de Aviles and 800 settlers gathered for a meal with the Timucuan Indians in the Spanish colony of St. Augustine, Florida.
· 1621 - Pilgrims and Native Americans celebrated a harvest feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
· 1630 - Settlers observed the first Thanksgiving of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England on July 8, 1630.
· 1777 - George Washington and his army on the way to Valley Forge, stopped in blistering weather in open fields to observe the first Thanksgiving of the new United States of America.
· 1789 - President Washington declared November 26, 1789, as a national day of "thanksgiving and prayer."

· 1800s - The annual presidential thanksgiving proclamations ceased for 45 years in the early 1800s.
· 1863 - President Abraham Lincoln resumed the tradition of Thanksgiving proclamations in 1863. Since this date, Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the United States.
· 1941 - President Roosevelt established the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

"The Rock on which the Pilgrims disembarked is still shown [and] has become an object of veneration in the United States. I have seen fragments carefully preserved in several American cities. Does that not clearly prove that man's power and greatness resides entirely in his soul? A few poor souls trod for an instant on this rock, and it has become famous, it is prized by a great nation; fragments are venerated, and tiny pieces distributed far and wide. What has become of the doorsteps of a thousand palaces? Who cares for them?" - Alexis de Tocquevill

This passage, from Alexis de Tocqueville's classic book, Democracy in America, was written in 1835. That was more than two centuries after the Pilgrims first arrived at that cold and rocky spot on the Massachusetts coast in a dreary November, 1620. The place would become their Plymouth Bay Colony. Tocqueville's words show us that even after so long a passage of time, Americans in the 1800s still cherished the stories of their country's beginnings. Now, almost two hundred years after Tocqueville, the story of those early settlers should move us still.

Why did they come? They tell us plainly in the governing document they signed, the Mayflower Compact: "For the Glory of God and the Advancement of the Christian faith, and the honour of our King and Country." They wanted to worship the Lord in the way their consciences and their understanding of Holy Scripture led them, which included building a community in which they could daily live out their faith in Jesus Christ. They called their dangerous effort "an errand into the wilderness." Sadly, many of them died in that first terrible year. Hunger and disease took their toll. But the Pilgrims are honored because they did not give up.

When their little ship, the Mayflower, returned to England, not one of their little band abandoned the call. They called on God to sustain them. And they accepted the timely help of the Wampanoag Indians, especially the English-speaking Squanto. Without this help, they might all have died.

The story of Plymouth Rock also reminds us of the Israelites in the Old Testament. They would place standing stones in key places to help them remember how God had led them, how He had watched over them. The Pilgrims identified most strongly with the people of God in the Bible. There may never have been so highly literate a community. All the Pilgrims eagerly learned to read words so that they might read the Word.

This Thanksgiving is a good time to remind our children of the many blessings that Our Lord has showered upon us in the past year. Even in this time of war and of deepening economic hardships, the harvests of our fields are still abundant. Our people have been spared further terrorist attacks, and we passed through a hotly contested election without the violence that too often mars political conflict in less happy lands.

Most of all, we give thanks for the joys of family life. When we gather around a holiday table, the faith, love, and commitment of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers bind our family circle. Let us also remember to give thanks to God for the brave young men and women who stand guard for us and our blood-bought freedoms in distant lands.

And let us resolve in this season to live as "living stones [who] are being built into a spiritual house." (1 Peter 2:4-5)

America observes Thanksgiving - Part 3

The “Thanksgiving” Celebration

The harvest in October was very successful and the Pilgrims found themselves with enough food to put away for the winter. There was corn, fruits and vegetables, fish to be packed in salt, and meat to be cured over smoky fires.

Governor William Bradford recorded in his journal:
Modern Language Version: "They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwelling against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports."

Edward Winslow's letter written December 11, 1621 recorded more detail of the event we now know as “Thanksgiving”
Modern Language Version: "Our corn did prove well, and, God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian corn, and our barley indifferent good, but our peas not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late sown. They came up very well, and blossomed, but the sun parched them in the blossom.


Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

The Pilgrims had much to praise God for, they had built homes in the wilderness, they had raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. They had beaten the odds and it was time to give thanks to God, The Creator and Provider.

Have a blessed and glorious day!

America observes Thanksgiving - part 2

Starving Time
The winter of 1620 was especially harsh considering the Pilgrims didn’t have shelter. This began their worst ordeal, the "Starving Time." John Carver, the Governor elect, organized the colonists to immediately build a common shelter for all to share and then planned additional out buildings afterward. The weather was unforgiving and supplies were minimal. The settlers were overcome by scurvy and other diseases, which caused half to parish within five months. Governor John Carver died also. It was at that time that William Bradford was elected Governor. Seven persons avoided the sickness two of which were Mr. William Brewster, their reverend Elder, & Myles Standish, their Captain & military commander. These people were preoccupied tending to the sick and those who died.

Friendly Indian Encounter
But spring brought unexpected relief - the help of a noble and generous Christian brother, Squanto.

On March 16, 1621, what was to become an important event took place, an Indian brave walked into the settlement. The Pilgrims were frightened until the Indian called out "Welcome" (in English!). His name was Samoset and he was an Abnaki Indian. He had learned English from the captains of fishing boats that had sailed off the coast. After staying the night Samoset left the next day. He soon returned with another Indian named Squanto who spoke better English than Samoset.

Squanto told the Pilgrims of his voyages across the ocean and his visits to England and Spain. It was in England where he had learned English. Historical accounts of Squanto’s life vary, but historians believe that around 1608, more than a decade before the Pilgrims arrived, a group of English traders sailed to what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts. When the trusting Wampanoag Indians came out to trade, the traders took them prisoner, transported them to Spain, and sold them into slavery. It was an unimaginable horror, but God had an amazing plan for one of the captured Indians, the boy named Squanto.

Squanto was bought by a well-meaning Spanish monk, who treated him well and taught him the Christian faith. Squanto eventually made his way to England and worked in the stables of a man named John Slaney. Slaney sympathized with Squanto’s desire to return home, and he promised to put the Indian on the first vessel bound for America. It wasn’t until 1618, ten years after Squanto was first kidnapped, that a ship was found.

According to the diary of Governor William Bradford, Squanto “became a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . He showed [us] how to plant [our] corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities . . . and was also [our] pilot to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, and never left [us] till he died.” 

When Squanto lay dying of a fever, (November 1622) Bradford wrote that their Indian friend “desir[ed] the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishmen’s God in heaven.” Squanto bequeathed his possessions to the Pilgrims “as remembrances of his love.”

America observes Thanksgiving - Part 1

 A Time to remember

The national observance of Thanksgiving is unique to America. It is both distinctly Christian and exclusively American it is a holiday for celebrating faith, family, and freedom. Let’s examine the rich heritage of this American Holiday.

In 1609 a group of Christians known as Puritans fled religious persecution imposed by the Church of England to Holland. In Holland persecution was not as prevalent but continued making it increasingly harder for the Puritans to make a living. In addition there was increasing concern that the young were becoming attached to the Dutch ways. They feared that soon they would become Dutch in tastes and habits, and that their descendants would be likely not only to lose the English language and character, but also to allow the precious fire to die out on the altar. A removal seemed to be demanded. The resolution to settle in North America became fixed.

Finally on September 16, 1620, after years of planning and preparation the tiny band of Puritans accompanied by the ships crew became what we now know as pilgrims, 102 in total.

The long trip led to many disagreements between the Puritans and the ships crew. After land was sighted a meeting was held and an agreement was worked out known as the Mayflower Compact, which guaranteed equality and unified the two groups. They joined together and became what we now know as the Pilgrims totaling 101 now due to the death of one crewmember during the voyage. The Mayflower Compact was penned on November 11 and signed on November 21, 1620. This document established the foundation of Christianity in the New World and established the basis of government. It was at this time that John Carver was elected as Governor.

On December 22, 1620 the Pilgrims planted their feet on the Rock of Plymouth, and began a new era in the history of the world. The day and the rock became canonized in American history and embodies Christian ideas and associations. The first act of the Puritans, after landing, was to kneel down and offer their thanksgiving to God, and by a solemn act of prayer, and in the name and for the sake of Christ, to take possession of the continent. They thus repeated the Christian consecration which Columbus, more than a century before, had given to the New World, and so twice in the most formal and solemn manner was it devoted to Christ and Christian civilization.

Baker Won't Play Flour Girl at Gay 'Wedding'

She may be a baker, but Victoria Childress isn't in it for the dough. At her Iowa Cake Cottage, she knows the recipe for success is sticking by your convictions--even if it costs you some business. So when two lesbians asked Childress to make their "wedding" cake this fall, she politely refused. "She introduced herself," Childress told Fox News, "and I said, 'Is this your sister?' She said, 'No, this is my partner.'" At that point, Victoria knew what she had to do. "I was straight-forward with them and explained that I'm a Christian, and that I have very strong [beliefs]." When the couple went to the press with their story, gay activists launched a boycott. "It's not to discriminate against them," Victoria explained on TV. "As I keep saying, it's not so much to do with them as it's to do with me and my walk with God and what I will have to answer for."

The two lesbians don't see it that way. "It was degrading," they told KCCI. But apparently, calling Victoria a bigot is not? Obviously, the only form of discrimination that's acceptable in this country is directed at men and women of faith. Whether this couple likes it or not, religious freedom is for everyone--including Christian business owners. Just because Victoria runs a bakery doesn't mean she has to check her conscience at the kitchen door. Childress is well within her rights to decline an order that would force her to join in the assault on marriage.

Usually, homosexual activists like to sugar-coat their agenda--but not these two. The couple came right out and admitted that this controversy " is not about cake or someone's right to refuse service to a customer." It's about running Christians out of business. Unfortunately, Americans don't seem to understand that religious freedom and same-sex "marriage" can never coexist. Why? Because the Left's definition of "tolerance" is surrender. And until more people like Victoria dig in their heels and refuse, homosexual activists will continue to bully anyone who disagrees with them.

Despite the threats and hate mail, Victoria has no regrets. "People are telling me they were proud of me for standing up for my beliefs because not many people do that these days," she said. "Business people are afraid to because they're afraid to lose money." At the Cake Cottage, Victoria isn't worried about her profits getting battered. This baker's here to serve Jesus.

Dwight Eisenhower Believed the Bible

"The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a nation than its wealth. The Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other book is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality, and hope."


"It takes no brains to be an atheist. Any stupid person can deny the existence of a supernatural power because man's physical senses cannot detect it. But there cannot be ignored the influence of conscience, the respect we feel for the Moral Law, the mystery of first life…or the marvelous order in which the universe moves about us on this earth. All these evidence the handiwork of the beneficent Deity…That Deity is the God of the Bible and of Jesus Christ, His Son".    -- Dwight Eisenhower

Wyoming Supreme Court considers abortion protest limits

First Amendment under fire

On Thursday November 10th the Wyoming Supreme Court heard testimony concerning the arrest of 2 pro-life demonstrators in Jackson Wyoming in May. The two arrested represented Operation Save America. The group targeted Dr. Brent Blue who is the only doctor in the state to offer abortions.

The attorney representing Operation Save America argued that it was improper for the town to secure a court order barring activists from appearing within two blocks of the town square. The town didn’t notify protesters beforehand that it was seeking the order.

The attorney representing Jackson argued that it was proper for the town to secure the restraining order from District Judge Timothy Day. Further stating that local law enforcement feared possible violence if the protesters, who previously had been showing graphic signs of aborted fetuses around Jackson, came together on the town square with about 200 Boy Scouts and their families who were gathering for an annual auction of elk antlers.

Justice E. James Burke closely scrutinized the town’s failure to notify Operation Save America before seeking the court order.

Burke noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has said there’s no place in the law for issuing restraining orders without notice that deprive people of their basic freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment unless there’s proof it was impossible to notify them and give them an opportunity to participate in the court hearing.

Jackson city attorney responded saying that she didn’t want Operation Save America protesters to know who she was. She said Jackson was in a very volatile situation when the protesters were in town.

Justice Burke asked; “Isn’t our system sort of based on both sides having an opportunity to present their position to the court?”

The court has taken the case under advisement and will issue a written decision in weeks to come.

Source articles: Casper Star Tribune & Operation Save America 

Make Your Case!

By T. M. Moore|Published Date: November 11, 2011

“Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
Deuteronomy 4:6

The day of salvation has come! Now is the favorable time for making known the Good News of God’s Kingdom and the righteousness, peace, and joy it brings to everyone who enters it. God calls all those who believe in Jesus Christ to take up the challenge of breaking the “spiral of silence” and making the case for the Christian worldview. As we have seen, this must begin in our everyday conversations at home, in the community, at work, and wherever we gather with others.

A second means by which we must make our case for the Kingdom is by publishing the Christian worldview through every available means. This does not require that we all become authors of best-selling books. That’s simply not going to happen. But never before has so much opportunity been available to affect the thinking of so many people by sharing the written word. Through local media, the Internet, and social networking we may expect to influence many for the Kingdom of God whom we will never be able to talk with face to face.

Here is a second area where every Christian can play an active role in making the case for the Christian worldview. In our day there is no shortage of media through which we can employ the written word to challenge the secular mindset and propose our Christian alternative. Local newspapers still receive occasional op/ed pieces as well as letters to the editor. Even national journals of opinion will publish letters that are concise, considerate, and well-written. There is plenty of help to be found on the Internet concerning how to craft an effective op/ed piece or letter to the editor. By engaging local papers and other journals and periodicals, we can help to make the case for a Christian worldview, if only with those who screen such missives.

But by far the greatest medium through which believers can make the case for the Kingdom of God is the Internet. Websites abound where Kingdom citizens can comment on contemporary issues, moral concerns, matters of belief, and ethics. Opportunities can be easily found for becoming involved in blogging conversations in which we may set forth our Scriptural views.

Moreover, many websites exist in which questions of public policy and similar concerns are given thoughtful consideration by Christian thinkers. Articles from these websites relating to public policy matters can be downloaded and copied or simply emailed to friends. We should always make sure to follow-up on any emailed articles, or articles copied and distributed, with a view to engaging in conversation over the issue examined.
Believers should not be reluctant to post their own thoughts about worldview issues – on their own websites, through email, or for discussion in small groups – and thus to encourage conversation that can affect what people believe and how they live.

No one is going to publish our Christian worldview for us. But with email, blogging, social networking media, and other outlets ready to hand, it would be irresponsible for us not to employ every means for making our case on behalf of the Kingdom of God. When believers are not present in those settings, the spiral of silence rules. So let us determine that here, too, we will challenge the existing worldviews of the day and make our case for the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Next steps: Ask some friends about good websites to visit where you can get involved in blogging about the Kingdom of God. Make a list of two or three points about the Kingdom you’d most like to share. Then visit those websites and join a conversation. Stay at it for a while until it’s clear you have begun to engage some readers. Let the Lord lead you from there.

Fifth Abortion Clinic Worker Pleads Guilty to Murder

by Karla Dial

Kermin Gosnell & "Clinic"

Facing up to 200 years in prison, a former employee of a West Philadelphia abortion clinic pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of murder in exchange for a lesser sentence and her testimony against her boss, Kermit Gosnell.

Lynda Williams, 43, admitted killing a viable newborn baby with a pair of scissors and participating in an abortion that ended with an adult woman being drugged to death in 2009. Williams is the fifth person to plead guilty out of 10 employees charged.

Maria Vitale, education director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, said the ongoing court cases against the clinic workers are adding fuel to SB 732, a state bill seeking to impose regulations on abortion clinics statewide that was drafted in response to the conditions federal drug agents found at Gosnell’s clinic during a raid last year.

“What is actually going on at these abortion centers? The problem is in Pennsylvania, they were not being inspected,” she said, noting Gosnell’s clinic was not inspected for 17 years. “Kind of unbelievably, the abortion industry has been fighting this. You’d think once problems were detected, they’d welcome legislation to crack down on these centers, but they’ve been fighting this tooth and nail. It just makes you wonder if they’re really concerned about women’s health.”

Federal agents got involved when word spread that Gosnell was distributing prescription drugs illegally through his clinic. SB 732 has passed the state Senate; it’s now pending in the House of Representatives, and Vitale said legislators hope to have it on the governor’s desk by the end of the year.

Putting on the Brakes

A First Look at ''Second Chances''
By: Chuck Colson | Published: November 9, 2011

Divorce is epidemic in the culture and, I’m sad to say, in the Church. Can that change?

In her 1968 country tear-jerker about her divorce, Tammy Wynette sang about her son and about-to-be ex-husband, “I love you both and this will be pure H. E. double L. for me. Oh, I wish that we could stop this D.I.V.O.R.C.E.”

New research shows that Tammy is not alone.

Working with the Institute for American Values, principal investigators Professor William Doherty of the University of Minnesota and retired Georgia Supreme Court Justice Leah Ward Sears discovered that “About forty percent of couples already deeply into the divorce process report that one or both spouses are interested in the possibility of reconciliation.”

According to their study, “Second Chances: A Proposal to Reduce Unnecessary Divorce,” this means that a significant number of divorces are preventable and thus unnecessary.

Most people believe that divorce is the result of long-term marital strife, but this turns out to be false. As Dr. Doherty and Justice Sears wrote in the Washington Post, “[O]nly a minority of divorcing couples experience high conflict and abuse during their marriages. Most divorces occur with couples who have drifted apart and handle everyday disagreements poorly.”

And they add, “It is these ‘average’ divorces that research shows are the most harmful to children.” And because the state has a compelling interest in the wellbeing of children, the state also has a compelling interest in preventing these unnecessary divorces.

That’s why Doherty and Sears have gone beyond research to develop a proposal for changing state laws.

First, they recommend a one-year waiting period before a divorce is granted. The decision to divorce is often made when emotions are hot. Once the papers are filed, couples find themselves on what Justice Sears calls “the divorce superhighway.”

As a result, couples find they don’t have the time, the tools, or the space to reconsider. A slower road, especially for couples with children, will allow couples to consider the consequences of divorce against other options.

Second, they recommend a mandatory early warning letter from the spouse intent on filing for divorce. It’s a way of putting the other spouse on notice that, “we have a problem” before the legal wheels begin turning. And it would trigger mandatory pre-filing education for parents of minor children.

Doherty and Sears go on to recommend that couples contemplating divorce have access to marriage reconciliation services whether they use them or not. While many couples with troubled marriages seek counseling, most therapists aren’t adequately trained in couples counseling and many feel they should be neutral on the question of divorce. Second Chances recommends proper training and a pro-marriage bias for counselors.

Second Chances is “a modest proposal” to reduce divorce, and I am all for it. My question for Christians and for churches is, why wait for a new law? Do we really believe that marriage was instituted by God, that He intended it for human flourishing, and that marriage and the family unit are the cornerstones of civilization?Then for heaven’s sake, let’s use our creativity and gifts to do everything we can to help struggling married couples stay together.

Air Force Apology: Just Plane Wrong

Operation Christmas Child update - The U.S. Air Force wants to promote less of it. Last week, the branch's headquarters apologized for encouraging cadets to help needy children after complaints from an atheist fringe. The Academy had circulated an email asking people to partner with Operation Christmas Child, a longtime project of Samaritan's Purse that sends shoeboxes of gifts to impoverished kids.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation complained, saying the Academy had acted unconstitutionally. Air Force officials immediately cowered, ordering cadets to stop endorsing the program campus-wide and work through the Chaplains Corps instead.

Well, MRFF may be able to bully the Air Force, but that kind of political correctness won't fly with most Americans. Don't let these attacks on religious freedom cripple the important work of Franklin Graham's ministry. Support Operation Christmas Child today! For more on the controversy, tune in to Tony's interview with Dr. Dobson tomorrow. For station listings and times, click over to MyFamilyTalk.com.

Election Day 2011

Today, Tuesday November 8th, 2011, is Election Day for some states. Among the states with especially important state legislative races to be decided tomorrow are Virginia and New Jersey as well as a special election in Iowa. Control of the state Senate in Virginia and Iowa is at stake in tomorrow's balloting. These states have been battlegrounds for pro-life and pro-family measures in recent years.

In Mississippi, voters will decide whether to protect human life from conception by adopting a Personhood Amendment to the Magnolia State's constitution. There, the state's leading political figures have embraced the Personhood Amendment. As an example, both gubernatorial candidates Phil Bryant (R) and Johnny DuPree (D) support a "Yes" vote on Initiative 26, the pro-life measure.

In addition, in Georgia and Washington State, voters will be voting on liquor laws, while New Jersey and Maine voters have ballot initiatives on gambling to consider. Meanwhile Ohio voters will decide whether or not to sustain Gov. John Kasich's rollback of state employees' bargaining rights.

Shot down: Operation Christmas Child

Talk about bullying; Mikey Weinstein has them all beat. He has now played Grinch to thousands of needy children around the world. How? The outspoken anti-Christian activist has browbeaten the U.S. Air Force Academy into dropping Franklin Graham's "Operation Christmas Child." Why? Because the long-time project of Rev. Graham's Samaritan's Purse ministry provides shoeboxes to hundreds of thousands of needy children around the world with Scripture messages. The shoeboxes contain toys, toiletries, and messages of hope. They note the boxes are sent from the love of Christ. The charity effort had been spearheaded by compassionate Air Force cadets. The Christian cadets want to share from the bounty we enjoy in America. All that was enough to raise Mikey Weinstein's hackles. Mr. Weinstein runs something called the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. They're all for "religious freedom"-- unless it happens to be Christian. A secular toy drive would be OK, Weinstein said.

Backing down, the Air Force Academy dropped the charity but will allow the institution's chaplains to continue to collect contributions -- for now. This is a part of Weinstein's long running crusade against Evangelicals at the Air Force Academy. Unfortunately, military leaders are all too ready to retreat in this brave new anti-Christian, anti-American environment created by President Obama and his Administration. I weighed in on this story earlier today over at FoxNews.com.

Economics reveals moral crisis

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  (Mark 10:17-22 ESV) 

There is a great message here. Paul says that “… the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). He was merely repeating what our Lord said in this discourse. Money will buy anything except the most valuable thing – eternal life. This discourse reveals the impossibility of a rich man entering into heaven by means of his riches. It is impossible for any man to enter heaven by his own means. 

The man can’t do it; only the Lord Jesus can. We have the idea today that money can buy everything. Someone has written these lines about money that we do well to think over: 

Money will buy a bed, but it will not buy sleep.
Money will buy food, but it will not buy an appetite.
Money will buy medicine, but it will not buy health.
Money will buy a house, but it will not buy a home.
Money will buy a diamond, but it will not buy love.
Money will buy a church pew, but it will not buy salvation

Jesus invited this young man to get rid of that which stood between him and God. If he had followed the Lord Jesus, he would have learned that the reason Jesus is good is because Jesus is God.

Reflection

As America has prospered; are we not a reflection of the rich young man who confronts Jesus as recorded here in Mark 10? 

About 75% of the adult population in America identify themselves as Christian. In contrast, 80% of Americans believe we are in an an economic crisis. What is the likelihood that America - and the world - is actually in a moral crisis and the "economic crisis" is simply a symptom of the "disease"?

If we are serious about healing we must seek a second opinion from One Who has no "economic" interest. 2 Chronicles 7: 14